The biggest geopolitical risks of 2026 revealed

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Jan 8, 2026

Cliff Kupchan, Chairman of Eurasia Group, shares insights on the growing geopolitical risks leading to 2026. He discusses the U.S.'s shift towards coercive governance and how it impacts regions like Venezuela. The conversation touches on heightened competition with China and the role of populism in escalating global instability. Kupchan also highlights critical issues from water scarcity to the challenges of AI governance, all against a backdrop of weakened global leadership and shifting alliances in an increasingly turbulent world.

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INSIGHT

U.S. Embraces A More Assertive Hemispheric Policy

The Donro Doctrine prioritizes U.S. control and influence across the Western Hemisphere.
Ian Bremmer says Trump will prefer military and security tools over tariffs to enforce regional aims.

ANECDOTE

Maduro's Capture As A Political Win

Ian Bremmer recounts the U.S. operation to capture Nicolás Maduro and bring him to New York.
He emphasizes the operation's symbolic media value and its immediate political payoff for Trump.

INSIGHT

U.S. Power Without Reliable Partnership

The U.S. remains militarily strong but is politically less reliable for allies.
Ian Bremmer argues U.S. short-term transactional actions are eroding long-term alliances and global order.

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With the global order under increasing strain, 2026 is shaping up to be a tipping point for geopolitics. From political upheaval in the United States to widening conflicts abroad, the risks facing governments, markets, and societies are converging faster—and more forcefully—than at any time in recent memory.

To break it all down, journalist Julia Chatterley moderated a wide-ranging conversation with Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, and a panel of Eurasia Group experts, to examine the findings of their newly-released Top Risks of 2026 report.

One theme dominates the discussion: the United States itself. From an accelerating political revolution at home to a more aggressive projection of power abroad, Washington has become the single biggest driver of global risk. That shift is playing out vividly in the Western Hemisphere, where dramatic developments in Venezuela signal a renewed US willingness to shape political outcomes closer to home.

Along with Ian Bremmer, the Eurasia Group panel included Gerald Butts, Vice Chairman; Risa Grais-Targow, Director, Latin America; Cliff Kupchan, Chairman; and Mujtaba (Mij) Rahman, Managing Director, Europe. Their discussion also digs into the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, rising instability among US allies in Europe, intensifying US-China competition, and the growing geopolitical consequences of artificial intelligence—all against the backdrop of a world with fewer guardrails and weaker global leadership.

As Bremmer argues, these risks are not isolated. They are symptoms of a deeper transformation: a GZERO world, where power is unconstrained, alliances are fragile, and no single country can—or will—stabilize the international system.

Host: Julia Chatterley

Guests: Ian Bremmer, Risa Grais-Targow, Cliff Kupchan, Mujtaba (Mij) Rahman, Gerald Butts

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